The present invention relates to a holdown connection, which includes a metal holdown connector for attaching wood framing studs and a mudsill or flooring to anchoring means such as floor joist, a concrete slab, or foundation wall.
Early holdowns were constructed from two or more separate pieces of metal welded together and painted to protect the holdown from rusting. The prior art teaches one piece holdowns which fall into two categories; viz. (1) overlapped back holdowns as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,672 granted to Commins, Gilb, and Littleton May 19, 1987, and (2) overlapped seat holdowns which are split into double overlapped seats as exemplified by Jensen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,621 May 2, 1989, and Young U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,097 granted Mar. 3, 1992, and triple overlapped seats as taught by Silver 1991 catalog page 9.
Holdown connections are required in many parts of the country subject to earthquakes, hurricanes and typhoons. They are an additional cost to standard construction practice and as such are subject to fierce competitive pricing.
An object of the present invention is to reduce both the cost of material used in the holdown, the cost of producing the holdown, and the cost of installation.
Reduction of cost is achieved by eliminating the need for welding and painting, eliminating the need for a separate rigid washer, and limiting the number of overlapped seats to two.